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A Bastard's Refuge II Rejected by Man, but Adopted by God

Gutter to Grace to Glory Ministries Int. Inc.

Contents

Dedication...........................................................................................VIAcknowledgements: To Those Who Rejected Me...........................................................XVIIITo The Family........................................................................................XXTo "K................................................................................................XXIVPoem.................................................................................................XXVIForward..............................................................................................XXVIIIntroduction.........................................................................................XXIXGod's Instrument: A Little About Me..................................................................37Psalm 91 Part 1 the Journey Begins1. Words For The Wolves & The Wounded...............................................................532. When Dad Is Unavailable..........................................................................653. Whom Shall We Blame Anyway.......................................................................1274. Getting On With It...............................................................................1355. One Wounded Sheep: My Story......................................................................1476. Bastard: Webster's, Them, & God..................................................................1757. Discerning The Time..............................................................................1938. Your Life May Depend Upon You Getting It Right...................................................2019. The Silencing of A Servant.......................................................................20910. Wounded From Within..............................................................................22511. It Couldn't Happen To Me - Could It?.............................................................237Part 2 - Controversy just ahead. Stay focused & alert!*Warning: "Fire" will fall! Prepare for a "Holy Encounter." Enter - if you dare!12. The Making Of A Bastard..........................................................................25413. Too Many Voices..................................................................................27614. Whom Are "You" Calling A Bastard?................................................................29415. Like It Or Not, Ishmael Was Also A Son...........................................................30216. Stuck In The Middle..............................................................................30817. Calling All Mephibosheths........................................................................32418. Dad (God), Is That You...........................................................................33619. Oops, Wrong Fold.................................................................................35420. A Massive Altar Call.............................................................................38021. Finally, Before I Go.............................................................................402

Chapter One

Woven into the gigantic tapestry of our congregations, are sincere, anointed individuals who have been, "Chosen by God" to birth great works, and to do mighty exploits. The primary problem seems to be unanimous, as I am constantly hearing the same complaints from so many. This situation must be exposed and immediately corrected so that the church will not continue to be made mockery of, thus rendering its great work, to be of little to no effect. There remains much to be changed and/or to be done away with, so that The Body of Christ can commence to functioning, as it ought to.

Many are being "held back" by those in various positions and ranks of authority. This book has not been written for the purpose of "leadership bashing", as I have no time for that nonsense. Besides, if I really wanted to bash anyone, I would have written with the same ruthless vengeance, to equal the magnitude of depth that so many others and I have suffered at their hands, for all these years.

If you are a pastor reading this book, please know that if I truly wanted to personally bash YOU, then I would openly include your name as well as the names and locations of your particular church(s). I would picket and inform every form of Christian media of your despicable and demeaning practices being unleashed upon the people of God. I would have absolutely no problem pointing out the predators who attempted to devour my soul, because not only did I feel, but also, I had to recover from, every single blow of their vicious word venom.

Pastor(s), if I really wanted to personally bash you, or call you publicly, then that would mean that I am still angry or that I am holding a grudge. Alas, bashing is not what God has ordered for me. I have been delivered from you and from your emotional shackles. My assignment however, is to set the record straight. It is my duty at this hour to inform you, that the sheep are not always at fault as you claim. You need not attempt to guess which church or pastor I am referring to. Again, this is not about bashing, but about sending a clear direct message to all concerned parties throughout the ranks of Christendom.

This book is not about one church or a single pastor only; this word is for everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but in particular, it is for the leadership, and is written on behalf of those who have been brutally accosted by them - including myself!

Of course, as I refer to occurrences, they are written as referring to "My pastor", because I am telling My story. Let us just say that at some point during my nearly 28-year walk with The Lord that I sat under a pastor, who wounded me so deeply, that I no longer wanted to be bothered with "church folk" at all.

The person's name is not important because, "My pastor" could easily represent any number of clerics out there who have done the same thing to other individuals. This world is filled with people who have their own, "My pastor" stories to tell. The Spirit of The Lord will actually convict some clerics to the degree that they will have to identify themselves. If you are a pastor reading this book, I admonish you to go to God with your hands up in repentance. I pray you see yourselves and repent before your own personal exposure is wrought by His Mighty Hand. I don't have to identify you; He will do that if He chooses to! Whether or not your deeds stay between you and He will be up to Him.

The Spirit may drive some of you into public confession. Again, that is God's department. He has only charged me to write the book, not to expose you. You who are guilty must, at the very least begin to acknowledge your mishandling of authority as well as your mishandling of The Word of God. There exists something known as, "Pastoral abuse" but your offence is much greater than that.

This is about YOU declaring whom YOU deem fit to serve our King, when it is not your business to make that determination in the first place....